Today is our annual sales meeting, the last bit of business we wrap up before heading off to our holiday party. We wanted to give our hard working team something special to start their day, so we whipped up a batch of blueberry muffins made with Lifeway Kefir, of course. Hand mixing (literally, with your hands) gives the muffin tops a crumbly texture while the kefir adds buttermilk-like richness.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup Plain Lifeway Lowfat Kefir
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.
Gently stir the blueberries into the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and vanilla. Pour into the well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the kefir around the edge of the dry ingredients.
Using your hands, mix together the wet and dry ingredients – use gentle, slow strokes gathering the dry ingredients from the bottom. Stop mixing when most of the dry ingredients have been incorporated – a few spots of flour are OK.
Fill each muffin cup to the top and bake 25-30 minutes – the muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a serving platter or a wire rack.